U.S. Secretary of State Announces Plan to Undermine International Criminal Court
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States will use diplomatic and economic tools to weaken the International Criminal Court, which the administration views as a threat to American sovereignty.
The United States announced on Monday that it will pursue a campaign to "systematically disable" the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In an opinion piece, Rubio wrote that the effort will involve using all government tools and cooperating with allies to dismantle the court "brick by brick, if necessary."
Rubio argued that the ICC could potentially prosecute Americans and warned that the court was attempting to become an "unaccountable global arbiter" that endangers U.S. personnel. The State Department said it may impose additional sanctions on ICC officials and increase scrutiny of foreign allies that continue to recognize the court's authority.
The ICC, established in 2002 in The Hague, investigates genocide, war crimes and other serious offenses. The United States has never ratified the Rome Statute that created the court, and more than 100 nations have bilateral agreements pledging not to surrender U.S. citizens to ICC jurisdiction. Legal experts note that the court lacks its own enforcement mechanisms and can only act where member states execute arrests.
A spokesperson for the ICC declined to comment on the U.S. announcement. Analysts warned that the policy could hinder the prosecution of global crimes and strain relations with European allies that support the court. > "If the U.S. turns against the court in its entirety, it’s really distancing itself from principles that our most important allies hold dear," said Alex Whiting, a Harvard law professor and former ICC prosecutor.